I’ve been looking forward to White Knight Chronicles, for about a month now, after I learned that Level 5 was behind it. Being a big fan of DQVIII, and RPGs in general, I was eager to see what came next.

Then this video turned up, I don’t know what to make of it at all, apart from that it seems really really involved, you might consider my curiosity piqued, but skepticism is at an all time high.

So I’m through the first dungeon, downed the fowl Tiamat (which was a bit of a struggle), and I’m now making some progress into the second area, I’ve got about four and a half hours in, and I’m amazed. I had several of those, “ugh” frustrated moments where I’d turn the system off, put the controller down, go do something else for 5 mins, and fire it back up so I can try again. It takes something special to really have that effect on me.

The level design in the first dungeon was awesome, the puzzles, though while they weren’t especially challenging by any stretch were fun. I can totally see why it draws comparisons to classic games like Zelda in that regard, but what I don’t understand in the flak the game is getting for being derivative. Yes, it is taking some tried and true queues from some games that make me feel very nostalgic about gaming. And pairing it with the likes of newer games in terms of controls and combat mechanics to me, is an amazing accomplishment. On top of that the boss battle was cool, it was an mechanic/attack pattern battle that felt very traditional but was very satisfying once I got it all figured out. If the levels and bosses persist to be as incredibly designed as they have thus far, I would definitely add this to my (fictional) list of must play titles.

The “challenge sections” as I’m going call them, are beginning to feel like filler, but there is a fair amount of diversity in each of the areas to mix it up from just the simple kill X bad guys. Instead you get a kill 6 guys with only block attacks, or killing 30 guys with only environment attacks, defend these guys for 5mins while waves of baddies come and so on and so on. This would probably have been better had they have been spread out more instead of having to do 5/6 of these challenges in a row before advancing to the next area.

Assuming things continue to be as good as they have, this is a truly remarkable accomplishment for a studio’s first title. Hopefully my full review will be out soon, but not too soon…

If Darksiders is any indication of how games are going to be this year, we’re going to be in good shape.

I’m only a couple hours in so far, because I’ve been struggling to find time to do so, but I’ve had a real good time so far. The post apocalyptic city you’re exploring is excellent, it looks good. The first section is pretty linear but I’m pleased to say that this does appear to be opening up. Also playing the first portion of the game you are limited to 1 weapon, and therefore the combat consists of hitting square over and over. I will admit, I was concerned by this at first, but I’m also pleased to report that this too evolves to something much more fun as well. Although, I only recieved the second weapon because of a pre-order game code I received, if I were as far into the game as I am now, and only had one weapon I’d probably be pretty disappointed.

The style in there is incredible, they’ve taken the big hands big feet (kiddy style) animation, and created something vibrant and mature. I’m not a big comic book guy (not because I don’t like them, i just never got into them), but I’m now really curious to see some of Joe Mads work.

The voice work is quality, and the audio really gives an epic feel in general. The watcher is awesome, Samael is awesome, so many awesome characters that have been brought to life with great voice acting and great design. I can’t wait to play more and see what else it has to offer.

I can understand the complaints about some of the controls, there are often moves that require buttons and triggers, and directions, to pull off, not to mention the aerial moves too… + you’ve got weapons tied to your square, and triangle buttons, on top of that you’ve got an item you can use on R2. Its a lot to get your hands around, but it’s awesome. you have a ton of variety in your assault, but it’s fun to use, and it looks cool.

I did notice some frame rate issues at weird times, not in combat or anything usually just exploring. Also, the cut seems don’t transition nicely.. it seems like it just cuts over, and it’s takes you out of the experience a bit. Apart from that I’m having an excellent time with the game.

Looking forward to my release calendar I’ve got a couple JRPGs in the pipe (White Knight Chronicles, and Final Fantasy XIII), the timing on these is absolutely perfect, just in time to kick off the dry season. Can’t Wait!

In anycase, more on Darksiders soon I’m sure, Cheers.